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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1- Jl R. WIGGINTON. AUTOMATIC RAILWAYSWITCH'.

No. 448,171 Patented Mar. 10, 1 891.

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J. R. WIGGINTON. AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITCH.

No. '4'48LIL7`1, Patented Mar. 10, 18 I.

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J. PL. WG-GXNTON. AUTOMATG RAILWAY SWITCH.

Patented Mar. 10, 1891.

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JOHN l.. VIGGINTON, OF lVASl-IINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, A'SSIGNOR OFONE-HALF TO VILLIAM R. II. ALEXANDER, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY-SWlTCl-l.

`SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 448,171, dated March10, 1891. Application filed December 2, 1890. Serial No. 373,311. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN R. VIGGINTON, a citizen of theUnited States,residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia., have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railway-Switches; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which to itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to railway-switches.

The object of the invent-ion is to produce a railway-switch which shallbe simple and inexpensive in construction, reliable and ce1'- tain inoperation, and whereby cars may be switched without requiring manuallabor of any kind.

lVith this object in view the invention consists in a railway-switch comprisin g a box or 2o frame situated adjacent to the rails of a trackeither at the outside or between the rails, the said box or framecontaining` a connection with the switch, a lever or projection forworking' the connection, and arms from 2 5 the cars engaging the leveror projection, whereby as the car passes over the switch it is movedfrom its normal position and returned thereto automatically.

Furthermore, the invention consists in a 3o railway-switch comprising avertically-movable box or frame containing a rod or other means ofconnection with the switch, a lever or projection joined to thisconnection situated in the box, a locking device whereby the 3 5 box isretained in an elevated position, and arms extending` from the car andengaging the projection in the box or frame, whereby the switch is movedfrom its normal position, the box locked in an elevated position, and

4o the box unlocked and the switch returned to its normal positionautomatically after the car is switched.

Furthermore, the invention consists in a railwayswitch comprising a boxor casing arranged contiguous to the rails of the track, a lever havingone end on or adjacent to the tread of the track, connected with the boxor frame, whereby the frame is raised orlowered, a connection betweenthe box and the switch,

5o an operating-lever joined to the connection,

and arms depending from the cars to be switched 'engaging theoperatingelever.

Furthermore, the invention resides in various novel details ofconstruction whereby the objects of my invention are obtained.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure] is a plan view of a track, showing my improved switch appliedthereto and a ear approaching the switch. Fig. vQisa sec` 6o tion takentransversely with the tracks, illustrating the levers by which the boxor frame is elevated by the wheels of the car passing along the track.Fig. 3 is adetail view illustrating the connection between the movable6; box or frame and the switch, the positions of the operating-leverbeing shown in dotted lines. Fig. if is a view showing the top of thebox or casing removed and showing the different positions of theoperating-leverand 7o switch. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing aseotionalview of the movable box containing the operating-leverz Fig. G is adetail view showing the connection of the lever for raising the box orframe with the track. Foig. 7 75 is a detail view showing the switch andits connection with the operatin g-lever contained in the box creasing.Figs. S, 9, and l0 represent moditied forms ot operating-levers formoving the switch. Fig. ll is a perspective 8o view of a car, showing myimproved switch in a position to be operated. Figs. 12,13, 11,15, and 1Grepresent modified constructions ot' the operating head or lever. Fig.17 is a detail view of the arm depending from the S5 car.

In the drawings, A and A represent the rails of an ordinaryrailway-track, and B and B represent the rails of a switch to anadjacent track. 9o

A2 repiesen ts a plvotcd switch arranged in the track A and A.

Arranged below the track in a suitable opening prepared for the purposeis a lever C, pivoted at a point c and provided at one end with twoextensions c2 and c3 and at the other end with a counter-weight- C. The

projection c2 extends upward from the lever and projects through anopening in the rail, preferably in the ease of a grooved rail 10othrough the grooved portion, at which point it is provided with a headc, to be depressed by the wheels of the car in passing over.

The portion ci of the car is pivotally con nected to the bottom of thebox or casing D. The portion c2 is pivoted in the hanger c5, so that asthe head c4 is depressed the portion c3 is raised, and therewith the boxor frame D. Arranged within this box or frame D is a post provided withan elongated loop or staple t the eye whereof incloses the staple d andthe other end of which is connected to the switch A2, whereby by therotation of the post d the switch is moved back and forth.

Any desired means of moving the post back and forth automatically fromthe car maybe employed; butIprefer the construct-ion herein shown andnow particularly to be described. Connected with the post d is a leverdi", having an enlarged end, as shown, and the top of the box or casingis provided with two slots or openings d4 and d, through which are topass the arms d and di, depending from the car to engage the lever Zi onone side or the other. As the car passes along the track the projectionat the forward end of the car passes through the slot d, thus drawingthe switch A2 outward to open the switch for the siding, and as theprojection d'7 at the rear end of the car passes through the slot d* thelever d3 is moved in an opposite direction, returning the switch to itsnormal position. As the post cl is moved by the projection d0 from thecar to open the switch for the siding the projection d3 from the post dis moved into a slot C19 in the side of the box or casing, thus lockingthe box or frame in an elevated position.

until released therefrom by the passage of the projection or arm (Z7through the opening (Z4 to return the switch to its normal pvosition.

Instead of the operating-lever di herein shown, I may employ the blockE, particularly illustrated in Figs. l2, 13, 14, and 16. This blockperforms the saine function as the lever. As one of the projections fromthe car enters one of the slots in the box D itpasses into one of thegrooves or ways e e', and as the projection slides into a straight linethrough the slot in the top of the box, and at the same time into one ofthe grooves e c', the block is moved either backward or forward,according to the slot in which the projection slides.

To avoid danger to the car or to the switch device, the projecting armsdi and cl7,dcpe1id ing from the car, are preferably connected to the carafter the manner shown in Fig. 17- that is, they are pivotally connectedat their upper ends to the car at a point d and are retained in positionby the spring d10, this Connected with this staple is a rod di, 1

spring being sutiiciently strong to retain the l. projections to theirwork under ordinary cirl cumstances, but will be overcome readily by ithe projection coming in contact with an uni yielding body, such as astone or other body, forced into one of the slots of the movable box orthe like. i Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim asnew, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A railway-switch comprising a box or l frame situated adjacent to therails of atrack and capable of vertical movement, an operating-leverarranged within the box or frame, a switch connected with theoperating-lever, and arms projecting from a car engaging theoperating-lever, substantially as described.

2. A railway-switch comprising a box or frame situated adjacent to therails of a track and capable of vertical movement, an operating-leverarranged within the box or frame, a switch connected to theoperating-lever, projections from the car engaging the operatinglever,and a locking device retaining the box or frame in an elevated position,substantially as described.

A railway-switch comprising a box or frame situated adjacent to arailway-track, a lever arranged beneath the track, one end having aprojection extending through one of the rails, the lever being alsoconnected with a box or frame, an operating-lever in the box or frame, aswitch connected with the operating-lever, and projections from a carengaging the operating-lever when the box or frame is in an elevatedposition, substantially as described.

4. A railway-switch comprising a lever arranged beneath the track andhaving a pivoted arm projecting through the rail and terminating in therail, the lever being connected to a vertical box or frame containingthe operating-lever, and projections from a car engaging the lever,substantially as described. 5. In a railwayswitch,alever arrangedbeneath and adjacent to a car-track, connected with a vertical box orframe and having a pivoted arm terminating in the track, anoperating-lever connecting with a rotating post in thebox or fra1ne,aswitch connecting with an elongated staple in the box or frame, andprojections from the car engaging the operating-lever7 substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN R. XVIGGINTON. Iitnessesz DAVID H. MEAD, F. B. KEEFER.

an operating-lever, a switch connected with.

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